The 'Ghostbusters' Car Is Pretty Much a Piece of Junk Now (PHOTO)

Many iconic props from classic Hollywood films are safely ensconced in private collections or prestigious museums, lovingly preserved for all time. But one famous piece of the "Ghostbusters" franchise seems to have been forgotten entirely: the Ecto-1a car.

The vehicle -- a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance, which the 'busters transformed into their go-to transport -- is currently wasting away on an abandoned prop lot at Sony studios in Culver City, California, caught on camera by investigative Instagrammer @cheekybama. Now, a group of diehard "Ghostbusters" fans wants to give the Ecto-1a the same treatment as its predecessor.

An online petition addressed to Sony is asking the studio to sell them the car for its current scrap value, so that they can restore it to its original condition, as seen onscreen in 1989's "Ghostbusters 2." Sony previously restored the Ecto-1 from the first "Ghostbusters" film, and plans were underway to do the same for the 1a, but the idea was scrapped in 2007, and the car has sat untouched ever since.

The petition -- which has already gathered more than 3,000 signatures -- pleads with fellow "Ghostbusters" fans to put their support behind the project, and pledge monetary assistance when the time comes. The group wants to show Sony they're serious about returning the vehicle to the "quality that she deserves," the petition reads.

Here's hoping this is one junker that can be salvaged.

For comparison's sake, the Ghostbusters' car used to look something like this: